GET UPDATES AND ALERTS VIA EMAIL

A proposal that would require people living on the Navajo Nation to register their firearms is working its way to the tribal council.

The bill proposes individuals who reside on tribal lands and own firearms – including automatic guns, rifles, shotguns and antique firearms – register those weapons with the Navajo Nation Police Department, which would maintain a central registry.

According to the bill, the registry would record a firearm's serial number, a date of registration and the owner's name and address.

If the Navajo Nation Council approves the measure and the tribal president signs it into law, gun owners would have up to 180 days to register.

Those who possess a firearm after the law is established would have to register the weapon in 180 days from the date of purchase...

...Delegate Davis Filfred, who said he and his father have served in law enforcement, identified his reasons for sponsoring the bill as creating accountability for gun owners and helping law enforcement identify firearms used in criminal activities.